Nick Berg: Bad Timing for a Beheading
Arab Media Accuse US of Exploiting Berg Murder
CAIRO, 14 May 2004 — The Arab world has denounced the on-camera beheading of an American civilian, in part because the murder allowed the United States to deflect public attention from its abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
“Whose payroll are these murderers acting upon?” the Egyptian daily Al-Akhbar charged yesterday in the caption beneath a photograph taken from video footage showing telecommunications technicians Nick Berg sitting in front of his kidnappers moments before his death.
The tape “resulted in a sharp change in public opinion with American officials rushing to take advantage of the incident to reduce pressures on the US administration from the scandal of prisoners’ abuse,” Al-Akhbar said.The article continues.
Reuters: Hizbollah said Berg’s killing had diverted the world’s gaze from an escalating furor over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by occupation soldiers.
“The timing of this act that overshadowed the scandal over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in occupation forces prisons is suspect timing that aims to serve the American administration and occupation forces in Iraq and present excuses and pretexts for their inhumane practices against Iraqi detainees.”
